Tandy’s Porsche tops GT times in First Daytona Test

Driving the Orbit Racing/Konrad Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3, newest Porsche works driver Nick Tandy set the fastest GT time in this morning’s first test session for the 2013 Rolex Daytona 24-hour.

Nick’s done the last two Daytona 24s, with a best GT finish of 18th overall in the MOMO car last year (above). For 2013, he’s teamed with two more hot shoes: Christian Engelhart and fellow works pilot, Michael Christensen.

Orbit are regular contenders and used to quick Brits: no Daytona fan could forget Johnny Mowlem’s Orbit 911 and an epic battle with Flying Lizard’s Rockenfeller for the GT win ten years ago. Hopes are high for another Porsche win at the end of this month.

Winding up fourth overall in session 1, the Konrad/Orbit 911 set a best time of 2:05.183 at a sweet 102.3 mph average: a touch over three seconds off the pace set by behind Dario Franchitti & Co in Chip Ganassi’s BMW/Riley. Next-best GT car was the P7 Rum Bum Racing (seriously) Audi of Biela/Winkelhock on a 2:06.0, so not much in it there. Next 911 was Patrick Long, Spencer Pumpelly et al in the Park Place car on a 2:07.2 down in P10.

It’s impossible to find anything – pics, media, news run downs – anywhere online at the minute, so I’m tempted to post a picture of a giraffe looking ponderous. Instead here’s Daytona in a GT3 from last year’s Roar Before test sessions. Jon Miller shows why Daytona is so exciting: check out that banking, the chassis movement under high speed braking and those full throttle drifts! Totally awesome.